Our Paths Ever Crossed
by Stone Shield
Summary: Could be edited for use in other stories, but this is a NaruHina, Kaze No Stigma story. The second coming of the age of chakra is upon the world, whether it is ready or not. Leading it are an unstoppable will and an immovable love. M as always 'cause I can't ever see where the story may go. Cursing and suggestive content, at the least.
1. Prologue:My Hand Was Meant To Hold Yours

Paths Ever Crossed

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Kaze no Stigma, or 47 Ronin.

* * *

AN/ Thought about a Naruto x Kaze no Stigma crossover off and on, but still haven't even seen the second season. Was actually inspired to write this intro after watching the movie 47 Ronin. I like thinking up ways to introduce characters into different worlds. Plausible ways within the set universes. In fact, I think this one can even be edited for other possible stories if the Kaze no Stigma angle doesn't pan out. I'm planning this out to be a NaruHina family kind of fic.

* * *

PROLOGUE: My Hand Was Meant To Hold Yours

Time is a cruel thing. In the end, it takes everything.

All that we've earned.

All that we've learned.

…All that we've loved.

But, it was fair in its cruelty. It showed no favor or ill will. Good, evil, indifferent. All are equal in its gaze.

You can cheat it, sometimes, but, in the end, it comes for you all the same.

The sad irony is that so few recognize how precious it is…until it slips away, or when it takes something from you. It is then that you realize how selfish you have been, squandering your time, never considering how easily it can be unappreciated.

He knew that feeling all too well.

Many times throughout his life, he'd cursed himself. For not being fast enough. For not being strong enough. Often enough, for simply not being there. That was his selfishness, in thinking that he had to be everywhere and do everything.

For one hundred and fifty years, and a little change, he had lived with that knowledge, that shame, that aching acceptance.

FLASHBACK

" _It's not fair," he mumbled, tears clouding his vision. Held delicately in his arms, as if she might break like glass at any moment, she just smiled up at him. There was sadness, but also contentment._

 _A pale hand, now uncharacteristically cold, came up to trace his cheek. "Shh… I'm glad…for all the time I had."_

" _Time I wasted," he bit out. "I-I only just realized-" He looked away. "I ruined everything." That same soft hand pulled his face gently back around._

 _Tears now rimmed her own soft, pale eyes. Tears of happiness. Many years she'd waited to hear what he was saying. "The fault…was mine as well," she countered weakly. "I should have been braver."_

" _I was a fool."_

" _The best ones are." She could feel the cold spreading through her. A sign that her time was growing increasingly short. Expending Hamura's chakra as she had…there was never any other outcome. But she had managed to stand and fight to the end, until all was done. "Naruto-kun… My mother once told me…that this life is…meant to prepare us for the next. That all we can ask is to leave it having loved…and being loved. And I have…even if the time was short." The tears that once brimmed began to fall. "We will meet again. I know it."_

 _Choking on his own sorrow, "…I…I will search for you…through a thousand worlds, and ten thousand lifetimes, until I find you."_

"… _And I will wait for you…in all of them. My love."_

 _That was how it happened._

 _That was how love came into his life and left it._

 _That was how the love of his life died. In his arms, smiling. At peace._

FLASHBACK END

It had broken him inside.

Knowing…truly knowing, understanding…that she loved him, had changed him. For just a few hours, he had felt something he hadn't for anyone else. He had crushed on Sakura for near-on a decade, but even her making him promise to return Sasuke had never hurt as much as the thought of Hinata's shutting him out to go with Toneri.

He knew then, truly knew it.

She had loved him. Deeply.

And it was with bitter realization that he came to see that she had done so for years. Years that he had been too oblivious…no, stupid…too stupid to see.

And no other pain in his life had ever compared to her fading away in his very arms. He had held her in his arms, someone who had cared so much for him, the life fading from her while all he could do was watch.

Strong arms, so full of power…

So useless when it really mattered.

Time.

It was unbiased, sure enough. But no-one ever mentioned how much it seemed to enjoy the use of cruel irony.

From then on, he was a ghost. With her last breath, his heart had stopped beating. He ate, he breathed, he slept. He existed. But he did not live.

He did what he set out to, in his master's memory…and hers…to further peace in the world. He watched two generations of shinobi around the world grow in an era of peace. But when the moment was afforded him…when he felt he could do no more, he vanished, retreating from the world. For sixty odd years, he went into a quiet, voluntary exile among the summons and the biju.

From then on, he simply waited for time to come one last time and collect its due.

Until then, all he could do was suffer…willingly…in memory of his own foolishness…and that brief, gentle love…but with the hope that someday, sometime, in another life…

…They would be together.

* * *

Bustling crowds passed through the streets of Tokyo. In fact, it was just about shoulder to shoulder as far anyone could see. So it wasn't that odd to bump into the people around you on a regular basis, so much so that everyone took it in stride.

The trains were even worse. If you weren't shuffling through a crowded station, you were stuck jammed into a train car with dozens of other passengers for prolonged periods of time.

He at least showered and brushed his teeth beforehand. Some of his fellow passengers didn't seem to follow that same etiquette.

He wasn't a fan of Tokyo.

Too close to the past really.

That, and he'd wandered around enough that he'd come to appreciate a larger personal space. Hokkaido was cold, but at least you didn't get jostled around in the daily commute. Still, he had to endure it. Business was business, and during these summer months he needed to rack up as much money for school and living expenses as he could. A few more years of odd jobs and schooling and he could leave the island entirely.

A time that couldn't come fast enough for his taste.

He recognized the existence of a little plastic friend in his wallet that could remedy his situation, but he refused to use it. He had only used it for those first two years. Now though, he only carried it around as a reminder. Proof of just where he stood in the world…and with a family that could find nothing but shame in his existence. A family that felt so disgraced by their child that they cast him out of their house at age twelve.

Sighing as the train came to a stop, he squeezed his way off the car and through the crowd. Experience had made him agile, but there were still the odd bumps here and there.

Body jerking, he staggered and came to a sudden stop, immediately feeling his jacket come snagged.

Turning, his vision filled with dark blue hair. "Hey, um-"

* * *

Oh. Why did the train have to run so late? She had left early to ensure that she didn't miss it, only to be left waiting for several minutes.

No, she couldn't blame the train. She should've left a little earlier and gotten on the previous train. That would've been a much smarter plan.

Mrs. Fumio would be expecting her to help with the morning deliveries, and she had never…ever…been late. Not in the last two summers since she'd started at the flower shop.

Her father didn't quite approve. It was his position that his firm, that he was a partner in, was doing well enough on its own that his eldest daughter shouldn't have to work a part-time job. He was however torn as he himself had worked during college to pay bills, leading him to the more or less self-made man that he was today. Her mother was the deciding vote, urging him to let their daughter spread her wings.

It was only a part-time job. Mrs. Kairi Fumio was a college friend of her mother who owned a flower shop on the edge of town.

She'd had to prove herself at first, but the woman's critiquing had softened over time, and she now welcomed the girl in her shop. Hours were longer in the summer, but she was on-call during the rest of the year. But she enjoyed it. She enjoyed working, getting dirty even, and earning her own way in some small way.

It was a friendship that she held dear and did her best not to neglect by always being prompt and working hard.

"Excuse me… Pardon me." Polite words with any and every bump as she sidled her way through the people that were trying to get onto the train as she was trying to leave it. Finally though, purple sneakers hit the station floor as she peeled herself out of the masses.

Just in time to collide with someone. Stopping at the tugging sensation of her sleeve, "Excuse me-"

* * *

Jerked to a stop, momentum arrested without warning, heads turned in a mix of confusion and annoyance. One pair radiant blue and one pair soft indigo.

Each wondered immediately what was going on. Noticing first and foremost the other's hand gripping tightly to their clothes: her to the hem of his jacket and he to her sleeve. And then the eyes met.

"Excuse me-" the young woman spoke, her voice as soft and gentle as the overall appearance she bore.

"Hey, um-" while his own retort was much less formal and reflected a tone of lackadaisical energy that radiated off him.

And yet, neither managed more than a few words before whatever they intended to say dried up in their throats. They just stood there, lost, intently so, in each other's presence.

Only tears showed the magnitude of emotions passing between the two.

Between these strangers.

It was inexplicable. As if finding for the first time that there was something wrong…something missing. Something so important that you just couldn't fathom how you could ever forget it in the first place, and feeling profoundly pained at recognizing it had been absent.

Recognition.

An impossible recognition.

"…You found me," she whispered. Free hand coming up to cover her trembling lips, her eyes overflowed with unshed tears.

"I said I would, didn't I?" and yet there was no hiding the tremble in his own voice as the first tears started trailing down his own cheeks.

Shakily, she reached out, as if he was an illusion, both hands against his chest, resting a moment to feel his heartbeat before she fell against him, sobbing.

To which his own arms wrapped around her like steel, strong and unrelenting. His own face buried in her hair hid his tears from the world around them.

Years untold peeled away in their eyes. A young man in burnt orange. A young woman in light purple.

"T-Took you long enough," she hiccupped into his blazer. Oh, she was so sad, but also overjoyed.

"I can't argue with that," he whispered into their embrace. "…Hinata."

Sniffing happily at hearing her name, spoken with that voice, where is shouldn't be possible. "Naruto-kun," she mumbled back, tears pouring anew. Pulling away, she met his eyes once more, this time with full realized recognition. Sniffling, she reached up her hands to caress his face.

"You have whisker marks," she choked, smiling, alerting him.

"And your eyes, they're changing," he retorted bluntly enough as the purple of her irises continued to lighten. "Heh…" His shoulders shook a little, and, despite the seconds-ago mood, a smile split his face, blue eyes suddenly alight. "Heh…Hahaha!" Hands snaring her by the waist, he lifted her off the ground and, after an admittedly pointless twirl, stared up at her, now offering her own sweet smile. Her own free hands caressed his face, gently pulling against him to lower her down, just so she could once again be closer to him.

* * *

Elsewhere…

Deep, even breathing in the dark.

Breaths that spoke of the deepest of sleeps.

And, for one moment, the pattern changed. There was a pause, only a few seconds long, but it was there, and then the breathing continued. A large eyelid cracked open. Within, a crimson, almond-shaped eye, reflected sleepiness before coming into focus…into wakefulness. The pupil, round at first, thinning to a slit.

What was that?

Just now… He felt…

Could he have imagined it?

Opening previously closed channels to the world…searching for that odd, familiar feeling…

Blinking dumbly, lips pulled back into a broad, amused, sharp-toothed smile.

" **Well, now."**

* * *

Naruto (16yo)  
Hinata (16yo)

AN/ Naruto's been on his own for 4 years at this point. At this time, isn't officially going by the name "Naruto Uzumaki" yet, as he was born Kazama Kanagi. Hinata was born Hina Hosho (if anyone can think of a better last name for her, let me know. Though by Chapter 3, all is set in stone.)

I was originally thinking about making him a Wind user, and Hinata a Water user. Then, it struck me that they could also become the first, new wielders of chakra in the modern world, reintroducing it.


	2. The World Is Changing

Our Paths Ever Crossed

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Kaze no Stigma. I'm just a lowly fanfic writer.

"Speech"  
 _"Thought"  
_ " **Speech** "  
" _ **Thought**_ "

AN/ I burned through over half this chapter just last night. Don't take it as a sign of quality, but of creative fire. I missed that feeling. It's been a while since I felt immersed into my stories.

Chapter 1: The World Is Changing

Despite the tunnel-like focus of morning commuters, the pair had gained something of an audience as they remained obliviously in a world all their own. A world where all that existed was the one before them.

The moment her feet touched met the ground again, she let herself fall against him.

Around them, some passed, some lingered.

An elderly couple, waiting for their train, smiled from their seats on the benches, leaning subtly closer to one another. "Such sweet kids…" the wrinkled woman sighed, pecking her longtime husband on the cheek.

There were even a cellphone picture or two amongst the throbbing hearts among the crowd.

Things might've stayed that way were it not for the insistent blaring horn of the incoming train. Broken from the atmosphere the pair gave off, the crowd started to disperse, many to get in place on the platform.

Leaning back, she stared up into the heartbreakingly warm blue eyes of her love. She wanted so much to stay there like that…in that moment…and she could see it that he was much the same. Someone had to leave reverie and return to the world, she was simply the first. "Naruto-kun. Come," she breathed, taking up a hand with both of her own, pulling him away.

* * *

"I will be a little late, Fumio-san," she excused over the phone. "I couldn't get aboard the train." Glancing at the clock on her phone, "The next one is in twelve minutes, so I will be there as soon as I can." Lucky that her boss was so understanding.

Naruto had done much the same, albeit without the gentle tone that came so naturally to her. He'd called in and said that he'd be late. He was a model employee, so his boss couldn't fire him so easily, though he'd been informed that he would be charged a half-day of time off for his lateness. And if he didn't want it to be a full day he'd best get moving.

"I…I'm not sure what to say," he mumbled, shoving his phone back in his jacket pocket before running a hand through his hair, still as spiky and radiantly yellow as it had ever been. Many things he had been known as. Speechless had never been on that list.

"I know," she murmured, walking alongside him. There really was no space between them. Shoulders and hips touched, never separating.

Now that the initial burst of emotion had faded, they were left in something of a daze.

"…I'm afraid," he whispered, drawing her own nervous gaze. "If I looked away…if I blinked…that you might disappear. That this could be a dream…"

Fully understanding, she hugged his arm tighter. If this were really a dream… Should she wake from it to find him gone, she would likely find it to be a nightmare. But she was not about to lose sight, figuratively speaking, of what had been given them. "Can you feel this?" she asked, bringing them to a stop, stroking his hand.

He nodded.

Smiling…that oh so familiar little smile of hers…she stood on tiptoe. "And this?" She closed the distance and their lips met. After a breath of heaven's sweetness, the kiss ended. "Could you feel that?"

Nodding, he leaned forward until his forehead rested in her hair. Difference in heights aside, their gazes met and held. "Then this really is real," he sighed. Tears had been spent. Now was a time of joys. "And you're really here."

"With you," she stated resolutely. "And I'm not going anywhere."

"…Except work," he reminded in weak humor. Gods above…he wanted never again to leave her side. But he was experienced enough to know that they couldn't ignore the world around them. Just as he knew that she, ever so much more empathetic toward others…really, she would have made a magnificent sage…that she felt the same. As much as being together meant, they had to maintain their lives in this new age.

Eyes full of happiness, bright and shining, "You found me once. What's a few hours?"

* * *

Time had been so short then. Compulsively, they had traded contact information on their current selves, so that, no matter what, should they miss one another, they could reconnect. She had even insisted on a photo with her cellphone.

Anything and everything they could to cement the reality of what they had awoken to.

This was an era of second chances for them, and they were hedging their bets.

* * *

Hours seemed to pass like seconds. While, contrary to that, they simultaneously felt like every minute was an eon.

On the one hand, Naruto was grinning like a fool, basking in the warm glow of connection. So much so that he was actually _disconnected_ from the world around him, and time became fluid. On the other hand, when he _did_ think of the time…in those moments it felt glacial.

The very second the clock turned 6PM…he was out the door so fast you'd think someone'd set his house on fire.

However you chose to view time in those hours, roughly six of them, it had allowed him the chance to step back…to think. Shocked as they were…in shock as they were…it had taken that small span apart to settle back and readjust to their reality.

He was Naruto.

But he was still Kazama Kanagi.

Yeah…a technicality of birth. Given how he felt about that, maybe he should change that in the near future. He had no love for the name, nor the people who bestowed it upon him. And the name Naruto Uzumaki meant a lot to him already.

Whoever he chose to call himself, this new life, their new life… There was a whole world out there, new and waiting for them. His academics were barely above average.

Not too surprising.

The old sage left the impression that being a well-meaning dork was kind of a part of who he was. That was how it'd been with Ashura…and the incarnations of Ashura that he'd come to know…himself included.

But what did he want from this life?

…Hinata.

Obviously, but what else?

People were no longer trapped by the conflicts of the shinobi system.

If he had to make a list of wants, descending in importance…

Hinata.

A home.

…Family.

Something about the thought of a family left his heart aching…and about ready to burst out of his chest in a combination of longing and panic.

As to the list of needs…

He supposed that, first and foremost, he _needed_ to finish his education. In his younger years, that kind of thinking would've galled him to no end. But, like it or not, while he felt the vigor and light of youth, he had still lived a long life once, and he remembered all of it.

Okay, depressing. What'd he been thinking about?

Right, the future.

He needed to educate himself. Cue youthful gagging. To do that, he needed money. Hence, the job. Though…he wondered if he was still any good at gambling…

Detailed planning came to a screeching halt as he rounded the street corner.

Hinata got off from her summer job an hour before he did. So they'd both agreed to meet up back at the subway.

And there she was.

The sun was going down, but just about all light was being blocked by skyscrapers. As such, streetlamps were coming to life.

And…there she was. Apart from the people flowing in and out of the subway entrance, stood an angel under the lamplight's glow.

* * *

Hours Earlier…

"You're certainly in a good mood this morning, sweetie," Ms. Fumio quipped as she trimmed off several roses for pending arrangements. Smiling shrewdly at the teen, "How many miles away are you, today?"

"Hm?" Eyes unglazing, Hina Hosho looked to her boss. "I'm sorry, Fumio-san. I seem to have gotten sidetracked. What did you say?"

"Oh, it's nothing, sweetie," the elder woman chuckled to herself. "Though I think that plant's had just about enough water."

Not quite understanding what she meant, Hinata looked down and almost eeped at the sight of a potted, juvenile hibiscus that was near to drowning, a long trail of water flowing over the concrete path behind the flower shop slash nursery.

"What's his name?"

Hinata's eyes bugged and she almost jumped, whirling around to face her boss' broad, sneaky grin. "W-W-What?!"

She shook her head. "Don't give me that, Hina-chan," she chided sagely. "You've been halfway around the world all day." And while she wouldn't mention it, there had been the odd smile the girl would adopt out of the blue every now and again.

* * *

She'd been dressed down by Fumio-san for the remainder of her shift. Her defenses poked and prodded here and there for the slightest detail into her being so distracted. The leading hunch being that she was thinking about someone. A guy. Fumio'san…even if she was guessing right, she really had no idea just _how_ right. Still, that all-knowing smirk…

She was torn from this reverie as a shock of gold bobbed quickly towards her, standing out from a sea of black.

"Found you again," he stated, dropping out of his jog right in front of her.

Smiling up into his smiling, sapphire eyes, "I never doubted you for a second." Stepping into him, she wrapped her arms around him. Once more…this was definitely real.

"Things were so crazy this morning," he murmured into her hair. "There's something… There's something I've been thinking about."

Head rocking back, away from the thrumming of his heartbeat, she met his gaze. Breath hitching in her throat, she felt his lips take up hers, and her heart exploded.

An overflow of emotions swept over her, through her, consuming her. It was like a little touch of Heaven and it was all hers.

All too soon though, Heaven was replaced by a biological necessity.

Damn her need to breathe!

Separating, both were gasping for air, just content in that one moment. Basking in the warmth of his gaze, she let her head rest against his neck, taking in his scent as she felt peace surround her like a soft blanket.

* * *

Nearby, across the street, hidden in the growing shadows of a line of well-maintained shrubbery, a pair of bright, crimson eyes watched the pair of teens. Eyes that spoke of innumerable traits garnered through age, but, more prominently: curiosity.

Eyes that, upon the humans kissing, dilated drastically.

If the speck of energy from before had been a spark, what it felt just then was the equivalence of a campfire.

A fire that was steadily growing.

Ruby eyes focused on the pair, disregarding all that passed around them.

" _ **So it really is you…**_ " it thought. Questions could wait. Right now…a smirk grew upon a whiskered, red-furred muzzle. " _ **Welcome back, kiddo.**_ " Sparing the female of the two a glance of recognition, " _ **Er, kiddos,**_ " it amended.

" **Hmm…** " He'd give the kids a little time together before he went and dropped in on them. In the meantime, he had to apprise the others. They doubtless felt this larger, more recent surge, and had questions. Questions that he could answer.

The heirs of the Otsutsuki walked the earth again…

No matter how glad he was to see the pair, specifically the blonde…

Naruto Uzumaki…walking the earth again…was _not_ a sign of gentle change.

Chakra had been born into the world once more.

* * *

Days Later…

Tokyo's Special Investigation Unit.

Strictly speaking, it dealt with the less than publicly known parts of modern society. Most everyone tended to disregard fanciful ideas of magic and spirits, and all their subsidiaries.

Which was for the best. The world wasn't currently equipped to be aware of just how strange it really was.

All that said, while the unit had been created to handle these threats and areas of general difficulty, they weren't invincible.

The last four days for example…

Hospitals had been flooded by reports of individuals experiencing fainting spells in the waning hours of the day in question. The numbers had been high enough that the news caught wind, attributing it to stress from the rising temperatures.

The SIU knew better.

The people in question who'd collapsed?

They all had files in the SIU, having been earmarked as being psychically aware on some level, or possessing the genetic predisposition.

Psychically aware people collapsing all across Japan.

Some of the more powerful ones…of which the SIU employed…simply experienced mild to severe dizziness, but managed to stay conscious through the ordeal. Whatever the cause, it was described as a wave of power flashing across the country. There and gone in an instant like a flashbang.

Since then, the SIU had been a madhouse within its own walls. Any and every able-bodied man and woman not on a disaster-level case had been retasked to trace down the cause.

The closest they'd come to a where was Tokyo. The epicenter of it all. Not that that could be considered much of a step forward. A city that size…large and densely populated as it was. Like searching for a particular grain of sand in a desert.

It would be years before any real answers came.

Focus would shift as searches proved fruitless, and more important cases took precedence. The day was noted and filed, but the overall case was put on the backburner until evidence could be found to make sense of it all.

* * *

AN/ Anyone remember a while back when everyone used to refer to their updates as "chappies"? Remembered that recently and came to realize I haven't seen that in a very long time. Huh. I guess it's a change of the times.


	3. The Walls Come Crashing Down

**Our Paths Ever Crossed**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Kaze no Stigma.**

"Normal Speech"  
 _"Thought"_ _ **  
**_ **Demonic/Pissed Off**

AN/ Watched 47 Ronin again and felt like dabbling with this. Burnt through this in five hours. Hope that doesn't mean decreased quality.

* * *

 **Chapter 3:** **The Walls Come Crashing Down**

"What happened? After… After I…" She didn't know quite how to say it. "Our friends. Everyone." It was just…surreal...asking such a question. Fortunately, he was quick on the uptake.

"After…" Sighing, he paused mid-stride, losing himself to memory. "We defeated Toneri."

Stopping beside him, she looked up into his eyes, "…Did you-"

"I wanted to." Distant gaze sharpening, he looked into her eyes. "I wanted to _so_ … _very_ … _badly._ " His fists balled up at his side. The very memory was enough to evoke such a rage within him, it was like his heart was about to explode in fury. Fortunately, that fire was quelled by soft, nimble fingers prying his apart with preternatural ease.

"But you didn't?" she asked, insistent on knowing. It took a moment, but, eventually, he shook his head. Exhaling in relief…relief that his better side had won-out, "Good. You were never meant for revenge, Naruto-kun. You were better than that." Pulling him along both in the real world and from the bitter memories, they continued their walk.

It was Saturday, some two weeks since their reunion. And Hinata had planned a day out for them. There was no movie, or anything ostentatious. Just the pair of them walking, talking, and generally taking in all that they could of one another's presence.

As irony would have it, her choice of their date had been to take the train down to the Nara Prefecture. They went to the Todai-ji Temple and milled around the park.

Hinata had even become something of a celebrity to the local sika deer. Practically the moment she'd stepped in range, the small deer followed her around like an entourage. And when they'd sat down on the grass to snack, backs against a small tree, the deer encircled them, laying down around them in the shade. A young doe had even come along and nestled along beside them, resting her head in the bluenette's lap.

Giggling, Hinata gently stroked the little deer's head.

Naruto could fathom a guess or two, but, he might assume their reaction was because of the one big thing that set the pair apart from others. Reincarnation.

If he was a bit more romantic about it all, he'd say it was because they could sense her innate purity and gentleness. In fact, he _did_ say as much, rather awkwardly, and received a blushing kiss from his date before she looked away in embarrassment.

While they relaxed though, "What else happened? And the others," she asked, refreshing the earlier conversation. "Did they all have good lives?"

Okay, that would take some time to answer fully.

"The peace was shaky, but it held," he answered first. "It took time, but it grew stronger. We only saw two more generations of shinobi before The Agreement."

Slight alarm filled her, but she was patient. It was, after all, the long-ago past. "The Agreement?" She could practically hear the bold-face in his statement.

He nodded. "The end of the shinobi system," he answered simply. Hinata's eyes widened drastically, but she remained silent. "With so much discord in the past, and the lessening of conflict between the countries, the shinobi system was quietly, slowly dissolved." Eyes scanning the crowd, "And from what I can see, it must've worked. I haven't seen or heard of anything remotely shinobi-esque. And I _have_ looked," he murmured with emphasis. Quietly, but thoroughly, he had searched libraries and the internet. "Family stories could still be passed down, but all scrolls and instructional literature were locked away. Parents and clans agreed not to teach their children jutsu or chakra techniques. For a better future, we _buried_ the shinobi way of life."

Hinata was momentarily floored. Such drastic changes… And yet she could appreciate them. Times had indeed been changing after the war. A relative calm had fallen over the world, and as communication between the countries had increased, conflicts had steadily begun decreasing.

Logically, shinobi…mercenaries from a broader viewpoint…would be affected by that. She could accept that, but a part of her was sad. Sad that the people she knew, friends and family, had been forgotten so easily.

Though…she guessed it was fitting. Shinobi, stereotypically, were meant to be ghosts, entering and leaving with no sign. In one stroke, shinobi… _true_ shinobi…had left behind no proof that they'd ever existed. Nothing more than myth and imagination.

Jarred form her reminiscence by the uttering of familiar names, she focused back on his words as he continued, going into depth on their friends and comrades from the now personally dubbed "forgotten era".

She wasn't terribly surprised to find out about Temari and Shikamaru. That had been a steadily growing thing. She'd even giggled to herself at the thought of the generational appearance of another grumblingly lazy Nara, Shikadai.

Sakura and Sasuke, eventually leading to Sarada.

Chouji and Karui had been something of a shock, mainly given that the Kumo kunoichi was something of a hothead. Their daughter Chocho who actually sounded like a young Ino.

Ino and Sai, the emotionally awkward young man being taken in by the Yamanaka clan, and their son, Inojin.

Lee, being Lee, would actually be sought out by a kunoichi from Nadeshiko, initially attracted to him by his strength, both physical and of character. And their son, Metal.

Tenten had never fully recovered from the loss of Neji, but she had filled her life with a pair of orphans that she'd adopted, and, eventually, fell in love again.

The memory of her lost cousin awoke a deep sadness within her soul, but she carried on.

She had sighed at her two teammates, both remaining bachelors for many years before eventually settling down.

Kiba being an irrepressible horndog, had hit on women all over…with moderate success, before, at age thirty-five, his still clan head mother had beaten the lessen into him to take his relationships more seriously. If he wasn't going to give her grandkids, then she would make it official…by having him neutered.

And Shino…being Shino…looking for the most logical partner, eventually finding what could only be a perfect fit with a surviving member of Iwa's Kamizuru clan.

Though she warmed inside at thoughts of her sensei and her daughter.

"What about Hanabi?" she asked as he came to the last of the Konoha 12.

"She, uh, she married Konohamaru."

Hinata's eyes gleemed. "I knew it," she cheered to herself. "I knew I saw something between them." But, in spite of that sudden glee, she caught the stormy expression that flittered across his face. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"It's nothing."

"Naruto-kun," she insisted sternly. "No secrets. Please."

Sighing, he looked down at his lap. "She…never said it…but I could see it all the same. She…blamed me, for what happened to you."

Hinata choked back a sob. Never would she have wanted that for her sister, or for Naruto. "A-And father?" she managed, voice cracking.

"He… He understood," continuing to find his legs fascinating. "I told him everything…and he understood. He was very proud…of you for what you did." Every year, he had found himself standing alongside the Hyuga patriarch, both in sorrowful, respectful silence, before her grave.

The memory was almost enough to break him. Tears rimmed his eyes, unshed from sheer force of will at the sensitive memories. A soft weight fell against his shoulder. Eyes lifting, he found Hinata's head resting against him. Already, he could feel a few small spots of moisture against his shirt.

It took a few minutes, but the flow of tears ebbed, sharp-edged pain dulling. Yet she remained leaning against him. "…What about you, Naruto-kun?"

His blood chilled at that question.

It was the one question he knew was coming, but had feared answering. Simply because he knew what kind of person Hinata was, how she would react.

"Naruto-kun?"

"I became the 7th after Kakashi resigned," he answered quickly.

Head tilting, she looked up at him with a bright smile, "That's wonderful, Naruto-kun. What else? You spoke of the others and their families, but what about you? Your family." He had had many admirers both in and out of the village. And, knowing Naruto, she knew he would have wanted a big family.

Contrary to that train of thought though…

It was telling how he suddenly couldn't make eye contact. "Naruto-kun?" Looking anywhere but at her…he actually flinched. Now she was worried. "What is it?"

"There was never anyone else," he whispered.

The words hit her like a rock through a pane of glass. Reeling from the metaphorical blow, she sat upright. "Naruto-kun. P-Please, tell me you weren't-"

"After you died…there was never anyone," he answered, quietly, driving the nail in further.

Oh gods, it was true. He'd been alone! "Naruto-kun," she choked out. "Look at me."

"…"

"Look at me, Naruto-kun," more insistent.

She almost wished he hadn't listened. If only to spare her.

She had seen many sides of Naruto in their last life and this one. Sad. Joyous. Nervous. Fearful. Happy. But this… There was only one word to describe the expression etched across his face.

Listless.

Haunted.

It utterly terrified her seeing him like this.

So…broken.

And then it was that she pieced it all together. The way he always seemed to relax when he saw her, as if letting go of some deep worry. As if expecting not to see her at all.

This was not the happy-go-lucky man she had known, but one who had lost himself to loneliness and sorrow.

She didn't know when the tears had started anew, but they poured down her cheeks. Hands unclenching from their unknown hold on the hem of her hoodie, shaking, came up to cup his cheeks. Watery blue eyes looked on at her, devoid of barriers. No emotional walls, no omissions of truth. This was what he had been hiding from her all this time.

Eyes once full of joy, radiant and never-ending were now quite lost.

Sniffling, she pulled him towards her. Holding him against her, she hugged him as tightly as she was able. "I never wanted y-you to be alone, Naruto-kun," she murmured between sobs. "You _deserved_ -"

"You deserved to live," he cut her off, his voice almost a pained whimper. "I promised I would find you again. That was the focus of my…everything."

It was all she could do not to breakdown entirely.

Her love had broken, and never put himself back together. He had _chosen_ not to put himself back together.

This… This would not stand.

Stroking his hair, passing on any and all comfort she could, she made a silent vow.

Once upon a time, she had met a boy who would inspire her. A boy who would unknowingly bring encouragement to her and a sense of self-worth. A boy whose very verve filled her with the belief that anything was possible.

Now…

Now that same boy…

All the life seemed drained from him.

Now it was her turn. Her turn to kindle the cooling embers.

She would see to it that he became again the man that he had been. A man of passion, hope, and boundless life. A man who had become the center of a storm that had changed the world-over once upon a time.

Naruto Uzumaki had been a grand work, and she would see him restored, pieces put back together.

And gods forbid anyone tried to stop her in that endeavor.

* * *

Needless to say, the ordeal of "story time" had left the two thoroughly drained, emotionally speaking. A shaken silence settled over them as they stayed like that for over an hour, holding one another as if afraid the world was ending.

If anyone saw or cared about how they were acting, neither was aware, nor could they have cared.

Eventually, rivers of tears ran dry and emotions settled.

A rumbling stomach broke the silence, reminding them that though they had snacked, they had not actually eaten anything. And it was nearing four in the afternoon.

"Come on, Naruto-kun," she urged, taking the lead. Gently shooing the dozing deer from her lap, the creature reluctantly sniffing pitifully at her, she stood up, wobbling on her feet. All that emotion had sapped the strength from her bones. Taking the last of the special biscuits, she offered it to the deer, letting it nibble the offered treat amiably. Smiling at it, she turned eyes on her boyfriend. Leaning over, she took him by the hands and guided him to his feet.

At their sudden activity, the resting deer started to arise, paying the humans the barest attention before seeming to understand that they were leaving, doing so themselves.

"Come on, Naruto-kun," she repeated. "Why don't we go get something to eat. I'm thinking ramen." At that, she caught the weak smile.

Her Naruto was still there, she just needed to rekindle the fires.


End file.
